#TheAlchemistLifestyle #IQS8wp

January is the month when the majority of people set New Year's resolutions of one kind or another. Often about losing weight, get well, and become fit. In my recent business blog "The Power of Goal Setting" I said I don't believe in New Year resolutions. To me, they sounds like something that we should do, that might be good for us, but boy they are such a pain and sacrifice that we give up at the first obstacle or opportunity. Let's face it, we give up quite easily too. But I do believe in the power of goal setting. The goal setting process (not target setting or task listing) is a powerful one for thinking about the ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn the vision of this future into reality,

"goals are dreams with deadlines" - Tony Robbins

If one of your goals is New Year New You, to be well and lose weight then I suggest trying the "I Quit Sugar" book and/or the program. Wilson was a self-confessed sugar addict, eating over 30 teaspoons of sugar every day. She'd developed mood disorders, a weight issue, sleep problems, and an overactive thyroid. And she knew she had to make a change. In January 2011, she decided to quit sugar. What started as an experiment soon became a way of life, and she hasn't looked back since. I do not believe in diets as such ( they don't work). But I believe in eating fresh seasonal food, not processed, cooking rather than microwaving, 3 square meals a day ( preferably in courses), for me, food is also a sensory pleasurable experience rather than checking nutrients, I do not deprive myself if I fancy something sweet, I have it, in moderation, I know, very continental - to be fair some of the longest eve people in the world are either French or Italians).

I QUIT SUGAR

That is why her approach ( book and program) resonates with me; they both provide a step-by-step guide to kicking the habit (sugar), a sensible, simple and accessible guide to return to a more natural way of eating, to getting well (and losing weight in the process). I liked the fact that there isn't a prescriptive diet menu but rather a simple and accessible process of elimination first (sugar, processed foods), and crowding up later with wholesome nutrients. a way to reconnect with your taste buds, your natural appetite, and portion control. The recipes in the books are good albeit with some very Aussie ingredients; there is however a pattern in the book, that she keeps the ingredients to a limited amount using the same ones in a lot of recipes so once you've bought them, or found substitutes, you can use them for a multitude of things and they won't go to waste (and what you cannot source locally, there is always the ever-useful Amazon, delivering right to your door).

LIFESTYLE NOT DIET

For me, the most important thing is that the "I Quit Sugar" book/philosophy is not a diet/task/resolution is a lifestyle If you are a habitual dieter, still looking for "the perfect one", give this a go, And if you have constant cravings, sugary cravings, and feel tired all the time, give this a go. The actual I Quit Sugar 8 weeks program starts today (12 January) Articles and website on sugar and its effect on health, for information: SugarScience Harvard Medical School Global Research